A theory and a question

[Lightspine]

First of all, the theory:

I had this theory a week or so back that I kind of joked about because it had this gaping big hole but now I've actually been considering it. Here goes: the force that shattered Stormseat and the one that created the Dawncities were one and the same, and the Listeners are the Dawnsingers. There are some things backing this up, the "singer" part of Dawnsinger matches with the Listener rhythms, and they are known to have inhabited Roshar before humans. At one point, the spren of Honor and Cultivation also bonded with them and not humans, and those forms could have been the Dawnsingers. The Dawnsingers had some sort of sound related power that allowed them to create the symmetrical Dawncities. (Though the process would include massive earthquakes). This probably would have been done by many singing together, such as when the Stormform Listeners summoned the Everstorm.

This is connected to the shattering of Stormseat because, firstly, it was symmetrical in a similar way to the Dawncities, and secondly because of this snippet of a Listener song:

 

"They blame our people

For the loss of that land.

The city that once covered it

Did range the eastern strand.

The power made known in the tomes of our clan

Our gods were not who shattered these plains."

-Listener song of Wars, 55th stanza

 

These seems like pretty good evidence that the Listeners shattered Stormseat. It is also known that the shattering took place during Aherietiam, when the Listeners rejected their gods. Perhaps they briefly became Dawnsingers and used that power. This is where the huge hole is: how did the Listeners shatter Stormseat after they'd rejected their gods, and the only forms they knew were dullform and mateform (Eshonai mentioned this but can't recall the exact quote) and why did they not keep that power?

 

Now the (completely unrelated) question: (which I will also try and answer)

Somebody wrote the passages on the back cover of the books. Who?

I have a list here of possible candidates and my judgement (I'm asking you for yours) of how likely they are:

Hoid: He's definitly old enough to remember the "old days" when there was "honor in the hearts of men," and he has been seeking out Radients and helping them along their path, which is in line with writer saying that the ancient oaths must be sworn again. However, knowing things about "the surgeon," "the thief," "the prince," and "the assassin" and how one of them will "destroy us" and "may redeem us" seems to require shardic future sight.

Cultivation: Like Hoid, she is old enough. She also possesses more shardic future sight than Honor. She seems the most likely, even though she hasn't been involved with the Radients as Hoid has.

The Stormfather: Old enough, but may or may not possess future sight, and if he does, it is like Honor's and not terribly good. Also tried to prevent the bond between Kaladin and Syl, so he seems unlikely to have written the part about swearing the oaths again.

 

As you may have noticed, all the conclusions above are from the back cover of The Way of Kings, because that's the one I remember better. I believe that of Words of Radiance just talked a bit about cracked souls and the nature of the magic. Any of the above may have that knowledge.

 

That's all I've got. To the people who actually read all this: how does the theory sound? How can the hole be filled? Who do you think wrote the back cover?

 

Edit: forgot to mention Dawnshards! How would they fit in (if they do at all) with the theory?

Edited June 5, 2016 by Lightspine

[frozndevl]

Maybe Dawnshards are the heavily invested Spren that the Listeners bonded with to become Dawnsingers. Dawn as in beginning, and shard representing investiture, so shards of the investiture that seeded Roshar.

[Lightspine]

Good one. How does that fit in with our only known reference to the Dawnshards though: "taking the Dawnshard, known to bind anything voidish or mortal, he ascended the ten steps meant for the heralds" (that's the quote as I remember it but it may be off)

[thegatorgirl00]

Binding reminds me of the Bondsmiths. There were multiple Dawnshards. Maybe each one corresponds to a different order. Not sure how that would connect to the Parshendi. Maybe Honor gave them to the Parshendi but took them back and gave them to humans as part of his betrayal?

[DreamEternal]

Maybe the dawnshards are able to control the placement of bonds, and were used to create the Dawnsingers.

[soulcastJam]

I think the dawnshards were a heavy-metal band (world-hoppers from Scadrial) who turned up the volume too high when the Stormfather complained that the cacophony-spren were having trouble hearing.

[KnightGradient]

 

 

These seems like pretty good evidence that the Listeners shattered Stormseat. It is also known that the shattering took place during Aherietiam, when the Listeners rejected their gods. Perhaps they briefly became Dawnsingers and used that power. This is where the huge hole is: how did the Listeners shatter Stormseat after they'd rejected their gods, and the only forms they knew were dullform and mateform (Eshonai mentioned this but can't recall the exact quote) and why did they not keep that power?

Maybe the listeners didn't keep the power because they still didn't want to be controlled. Honor and Cultivation are still very similar to Odium, and it could be that they'd rather be mindless and free instead of serving 'good' gods. Remember, each Shard isn't really good or evil, and the listeners aren't the kind of people to honor huge pacts(see WoK prologue), and as for Cultivation, well, I got nothing.

[Lightspine]

I think the dawnshards were a heavy-metal band (world-hoppers from Scadrial) who turned up the volume too high when the Stormfather complained that the cacophony-spren were having trouble hearing.

Umm, Hitchhiker reference?

Anyway, I'd like to see some opinions on who wrote the back covers of the books.